January is National Train Your Dog Month

This month marks the fifth celebration of Train Your Dog Month, created by the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). APDT believed it was long overdue to dedicate a month to bringing awareness to the importance of socialization and training.

This month reminds pet parents now’s the time to embark on enriching their canine companion’s life and most importantly, understand that training your dog can be a fun and rewarding experience!

It’s time to celebrate training your dog with everyday manners. We also wish to stress the importance and benefits of training dogs to become happy and healthy companions. Too many dogs are turned into animal shelters each year for behavior and training issues that could be easily solved with proper socialization and positive and gentle methods of training.

Beyond the month of January, there are so many benefits of training with your dog on a consistent basis:

• Strengthen the bond with your pet
• Create a positive relationship
• Gain an understanding of your pets behavior
• Increase the safety of your pets, guests, and family
• Decrease daily stresses
• Make life with your pup more enjoyable
• Fulfill your dog’s need for structure

Whether you added a puppy to your family this holiday season or have been blessed with a dog for many years, it’s never too early or late to train!

So...where to begin? APDT offers many resources to start. Remember, training is supposed to be a fun learning experience for both you and your dog. It requires patience, love, consistency and lots of treats!

Happy training!

Source: APDT